Japanese
Folding Fan for Tosenkyo, early 20th century
Ink and color on paper with bamboo ribs, 25.7 x 43.2 cm (10 1/8 x 17 in.)
A Japanese folding fan with thin, separated bamboo ribs. The upper sixty percent of this fan is covered with paper that has been water-colored red. The bare bamboo ribs comprise the lower forty percent and are joined together with a circular metal pin near the bottom. The sole decoration consists of two widely separate, almost square, white, block print-like figures on opposite sides of the center. The back of the paper of the fan is white, and you can see the bamboo ribs attached to the back of the paper.
Vatichino
Commentary
Isabella Stewart Gardner kept meticulous records of many of her acquisitions. In keeping with this legacy, object information is continually being reviewed, updated, and enriched in order to give greater access to the collection.